WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Army volleyball team fell to Patriot League defending champion American (25-2, 11-1) on Friday night with senior middle blocker Megan Wilton leading the Black Knights (21-11, 9-4) with 11 kills. Unable to find any rhythm, Army fell to American 25-17 in the first set, 25-22 in the second and 25-15 in the third and final set.

On offense, Wilton led the Black Knights with 11 kills while freshman middle blocker Olivia Fairfield and senior co-captain outside hitter Margaux Jarka added seven and eight kills, respectively. Fairfield also led Army with an average hitting percentage of .385.

Defensively Army was able to hold American to an average team hitting percentage of .288. Senior co-captain libero D.J. Phee added to her all-time dig record with 25digs on Friday night, while sophomore setter Vanessa Edwards followed with eight. Edwards also added 31 assists in the 3-0 decision.

The first set opened with American out in front, taking an early 7-2 lead with kills from Juliana Crum and Kelly McCaddin. After forcing the Black Knights into an early timeout, American stretched its lead to seven with a 14-7 score. While kills from Fairfield and Jarka kept Army in the game, American held onto its lead and went out to close the set with a 25-17 victory.

The second and most competitive set began with a four point rally from the Eagles, until a kill from Wilton put Army on the map. American, again forcing Army into an early timeout, was able to hold onto its lead until two forced attack errors tied the set, 11-11. After four kills from Crum, the Eagles took a three point lead before kills from Wilton and Jarka tied the game, 22-22, late in the set. American went on to capture the final three points with a 25-22 win over the Black Knights.

The third and final set opened with the Eagles taking a 9-2 lead over Army, before the Black Knights were forced into an early timeout. The Black Knights looking to chip away at the 18-6 deficit came through with kills from Phee and Jarka, though the effort wasn't enough. American, able to maintain its lead, went on to capture the set and match with a 25-15 decision.

American's Crum lead all players with 13 kills while teammate Kristyna Lindovska added 10. On defense, Morgan Hendrix and McCaddin each delivered three blocks.

The Black Knights return to Gillis Field House for their final home match of the season versus Loyola at 7:30 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 9. Prior to Saturday's serve, Army will take a moment to recognize five seniors who will be commissioned during May's graduation ceremony. The match will be featured on Knight Vision (subscription fees apply) in addition to GameTracker, which can be found on the Army volleyball schedule page. Fans are encouraged to follow the @Army_Volleyball twitter handle for real time updates of Saturday night's match. Stats and a full game recap will be available on goARMYsports.com following the match.